Cheech Tremendous

How many centerfield prospects do the Braves need?

ok, someone needs to explain this. It was already mentioned in this very thread: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...12/wtree112.xml

They suck?

I know that Phil Hughes is no longer considered a rookie. But to this point he has a grand total of 72 innings pitched at the major league level. It's not that I'm advocating the pursuit of Kyle Lohse or some other mediocre starter just to fill out a rotation with a "name." But I do wonder about putting too much reliance on the young guys when they aren't necessarily prepared to carry the workload or expectations of a 200 inning starting pitcher. There are going to be big time growing pains with these guys next year and you'd hate to see them take the fall because of the lofty expectations of the New York media and Yankees fans.

Bill Simmons seems to think that this is the best NFL season of all-time. Is there anyone else here who feels that way? In my opinion, this is the worst NFL season that I can remember. It's been totally void of any interesting storylines or on the field performances. There have been a few unpredictable moments (Peterson's yards record, for one), but the whole thing just feels like a 19 week march to the inevitable Pats Super Bowl win. How is that fun for anyone? I guess the playoffs are shaping up nicely with 6 legitimate teams, each with rabid fanbases. But until then, there's not much to get excited about, right? Am I off base here?

Taking steroids was always against the rules. They just weren't testing for it.

There's no precedent to ban Bonds from baseball. He'll get his shot at the Hall. Exactly. If you banned Bonds for his steroid use, you'd have to ban everyone else who has tested positive. That's a slippery slope.

Mark McGwire's career numbers include being 1st in at bats per home run, 8th in total HR, 9th in slugging percentage, 11th in career OPS, 12th in adjusted OPS, 21st in batting runs created, 28th in batting wins and 35th in walks. He won a gold glove, Rookie of the Year, made 12 All-Star games and appeared on 10 MVP ballots. McGwire and Bonds were the best hitters of their generation. He's absolutely a first ballot guy.

They've already shown that they aren't voting for Mark McGwire, who should have been a lock first ballot guy. I'm not taking a position as to whether or not Bonds should get in, but the chances that the writers let him in now is minimal at best. I guess we'll have to see where the trial goes and how the court of public opinion handles the matter. Oh, by the way, it was announced the other day that MLB topped $6 billion in revenues last year, which puts it ahead of the NFL as the nation's largest grossing sport. That whole steroids thing really damaged the game, didn't it?

Captain Untaxable?

Are you sure about that? I guess we'll have to wait and see what impact the Mitchell Report has on the game, but I could definitely see Bonds as the fall guy for the entire steroids era. In the absence of catching everybody who cheated they'll project all blame onto those who were caught.

He does a HOF issue of his newsletter, but that's the extent of it.

More importantly, why would anyone care?

Wang, Mussina, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy isn't that much better as a rotation. I don't mean that as a knock against Joba or any of the other guys either. It's a rotation filled with a lot of uncertainty and injury potential. Potential or not, expecting three rookies to carry a rotation could be a recipe for disaster. You'd like to see one more sure thing in that lineup. Even if Mariano is resigned, Joba could have a ton of value as a relief ace or set-up guy. A shutdown force in the late innings can have as much value as a closer if used correctly. Paps was a reliever in college, but was a starter in the minors. He was considered a better prospect than Anibal Sanchez and Jon Lester, who were his contemporaries in the system and have both shown a degree of success at the major league level. Ultimately, his value is much higher in the bullpen given his performance and how that would translate into a starting role.

It's a very interesting topic. Most media types consider the role of closer to be more important than a starter because they confuse the concept of leverage with ability. However, sabermetric guys are often just as wrong because they feel the value of 200 innings as a starter are better than 60 in the bullpen. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. A good closer's value is somewhere between a #2 and #3 starter. If Joba truly has four above average pitches, he's going to be wasted in the bullpen. But if his stuff translates well to a short outing, than closer might be the best role for him. Think of it as the Papelbon Corollary.

A-Rod is only 244 homeruns away from the record right now. He could break that in 5 years (unlikely, but still very possible). I have no idea if the Yankees will win the World Series before then. Theoretically, if they continue to make the playoffs every year, you'd figure they'd win at least one every 8 years (assuming every playoff team has an equal shot, which is not necessarily the case).

That's a lot of weight to put on his frame in a short amount of time, and seeing that he just had knee surgery, it's probably mostly upper body weight. That could cause a lot of problems with his speed, mobility, explosiveness, etc. I'm not saying that it will, but it could. Adding muscle for a post player is usually always good, but I'd like to see how his body reacts first.

No. Asterisks are stupid and pointless. Bonds was a cheater in an era of constant cheating and rampant steroid abuse. He'll be forever remembered as a great player who tarnished his legacy with his actions so there's no need for something as petty as an *. And he'll probably never make the HOF.

The same Jason Kendall that sported a -13.2 VORP? He was the worst catcher in baseball last year in any capacity, starter of backup. He's absolutely toast. And why are the Rockies messing with the Torrealbas and Kendalls of the world when they have Chris Ianetta right there?

Is this sarcasm? It's not just about Bonds and steroids. The man seriously inhibited a federal investigation into a company manufacturing and distributing illegal substances. Bonds himself has cost taxpayers millions by failing to be forthcoming with information.

I don't think so. The 2006 Minnesota Twins won the division on the last day of the season without being in first all year.

Boras spent most of the season clamoring for $35-$40 million a year and anywhere from 10 to 12 years. General buzz from the two week negotiation period indicated that the teams that were interested were balking at a 7th and 8th year and were only offering $20-$25 million per. I think he went for the best deal possible before the market participants caught up to the fact that he could be had for a lot less money than most expected. This contract has the largest gross dollar amount and highest AAV of any contract in baseball history. There is no reason to continue to play the market like Boras usually does when his client just set the upper limit for all baseball contracts.

He was given full immunity for anything admitted during his testimony. The only charge he wasn't protected from was perjury. It's a moot point whether or not he actually admits to a crime because all information would have been (theoretically) sealed by the grand jury.

A-Rod turns down 8 years and $220 million from the Yankees, takes a huge public backlash from the fans and media, gets no firm offers from the market and ends up with $275-$300 million from the team he just left. I've said it before, but Boras is an absolute genius. He misread the free agent market for his client's services, saw the opportunity to land a contract for his prize client going up in smoke and somehow turned it into the largest contract in MLB history. I want this man to negotiate my next pay raise.

Plea deal? EDIT: Nevermind. If an indictment is issued, the grand jury is over and you can't hold Anderson on contempt charges any longer.